Lobster Capital of the Bahamas

On Monday morning we pulled into Pappa Keys Docks in Spanish Wells on St George’s Cayo located near the west end of Eleuthera. As we motored down the inside channel the docks were lined with boats that looked like shrimpers. Well it turns out they were lobster boats. Spanish Wells is considered the Lobster capital of the Bahamas and relies on that industry as their primary source of revenue as opposed to tourism like their many island counterparts.

The boats are all in port as lobster season is currently closed right now. The crew are busy cleaning, painting and repairing the boats getting them ready for the next season. They maintain the boats in pristine  condition. They use a unique locally developed method of catching lobster. They make what is called a lobster condo which is basically a 4 X 4 sheet of corrugated metal nailed onto a frame.

It sits on the bottom where the lobster will crawl under it to hide during the day. A diver on a Hookah setup  goes down and lifts the condo up and grabs the lobster. The Spanish Wells is considered a white Bahamian island that was originally settled in the 1600’s by European Loyalist that fled from America. There was only a handful of families at that time that have largely stayed. The original colony was setup as a coop which still exists today.

The large grocery store here is an example. The common names here are Underwood, Higgs, Pinder and Sweetings. As a funny coincidence the local accent very closely resembles a Maine accent. The houses are largely very well maintained and actually have landscapes of local tropical plants and trees. People here are very friendly and will offer a ride on their golf cart in a moment if they see you hiking down the road carrying anything.

Crime here is unheard of. They say if one of your possessions comes up missing is more likely you misplaced it. It is one of the most industrious islands we have been on. The island is very industrious. At 8am it is a buzz with people heading to work some of whom arrive via the ferry from Eleuthera. The beaches on the north side of the island are simply stunning and could easily grace the cover of any travel magazines.

A very short distance off the northern shore there are abundant reefs stretching for miles. They are vibrantly alive teaming with colorful coral and abundant sea life. I have been prowling them with my pole spear looking for fresh catch. I have had some modest success and seem to be getting a little more proficient at it. We crossed paths again with the crew of Salt Wife. On Thursday they joined us as we rented a car on Eleuthera to go explore. Eleuthera a narrow island  about 120 miles long.

Our first stop was at the Glass Window. It is an area where the ocean rushes over a low spot and communicates with the banks. We then took our time and made our way to Governor’s Harbor where we had lunch at the Buccaneer. We enjoyed one of the best and biggest cracked Conch sandwiches ever. After a nice walk we headed to Sweetings Pond better known as seahorse lake.

The pond is a land locked salt water lagoon that is said to have the highest concentration of seahorses in the world. We put our snorkel gear on and explored along the edges of the lake. We saw a lot of seahorses, crazy mollusks with orange beards and giant channel clinging crabs under the ledges. We later learned they are good to eat. We could have filled a five gal bucket in minutes. Darn it! After we dried off we went into Hatchet’s Bay and poked around there for awhile.

As time was growing short we had to head back to the ferry as the last one leaves at 5:30. Eleuthera is a very interesting island with many natural attractions. For those that like quite solitude walking drop dead gorgeous beaches this might just be your next holiday destination. 

Our plan was to begin our journey back stateside but once again Mother Nature had something else in mind.

Winds were forecast to blow hard for the next couple days so being the fair weather cruisers that we are we extended our stay. We spent time walking the beaches, conversing with other boaters watching the turtles swim by and just hanging out. I managed to get back out on the reef and spear a couple of nice fish for dinner one night.  Friday afternoon we went to Ships Haven at the eastern end of the island for Happy Hour.

They had a Rasta  guy from Eluethra playing some great tunes on the 2nd floor bar that completely opens to the east and north side. On Sunday we went to the Spanish Wells History Museum and had a tour with a wonderful local docent.  She went through the history of the island to present. This island like many are having growing pains. Big money has poured in causing real estate to spike pricing out the local young up and coming. Monday night we ended up having dinner there with a couple we met at the docks. Ian and Carolyn from Nova Scotia. His career was in the Canadian Navy, snicker snicker.

The post comment was purely for the benefit of my wonderful Canadian neighbor. Ian  then finished off as military attache’ at the Canadian Embassy in Washington. Carolyn was also a some type attache’ and a marine biologist. They had many interesting stories to tell. They had us over to their boat the last night we were in port for dinner and great conversation. So on Tuesday morning the weather looked good enough to make the first leg north back to reality. 

This is one of the best dock neighbors anyone could have. His name is Oded and if you guessed that he is from Israel you would be correct. Very friendly guy. 

                                               Sunset at Ships Haven

We found this character when we went into the beer store. When we came out we were looking at the ultra light float plane. As we were talking about it we heard from behind a fence, “If you let me out I will tell you all about it.” Sue quipped, “ How do I know is is safe to let you out?” As only Sue can do. We sat and talked with him for well over an hour.